A policeman named Sulaiman and a civilian lost their lives when bandits in large numbers on motorcycles made their way into Matazu town, a local government headquarters shooting sporadically on Saturday.
21st CENTURY CHRONICLE gathers from local sources that the bandits didn’t stop inside the town.
“We believe they were passing through the town,” Bashir Usman, a resident of Matazu told this reporter. “They did the shooting inside the town to scare the security agents and make them think that was that. From there, the bandits moved to attack Sayaya, Karadua and another community.”
In Sayaya, the bandits stormed the primary health centre, carted away all medical consumables before setting it ablaze.
The bandits also burnt down the police outpost, several houses, vehicles and shops in the village but no life loss.
“For three to four days, this axis has been in the grip of these bandits. The security agents are trying but situation has not improved a bit especially the way the bandits are launching attacks at will,” a community leader in Sayaya, who asked not to be named.
The state governor, Dikko Radda visited the community Saturday evening to assess the situation.
“Upon arrival in Sayaya, Governor Radda inspected the affected facilities, including the Primary Health Care Centre and shops, to assess the extent of the damage. He also met with residents and commiserated with them over the incident.
“During the visit, the Governor condoled with the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) and officers of the command over the death of the policeman and extended his sympathies to the families affected by the violence,” the chief press secretary to the governor, Ibrahim Kaula Mohammed, said in a statement.
Matazu is one of the areas that have entered into a peace deal with bandits since last year but attacks have largely increased in the local government area in the last few months.
